Bittersweet Birthday Cake
by Leviathan Cross
Summary: Shuichi tries to throw Yuki a birthday party and chaos ensues.


Title: Bittersweet Birthday Cake (Originally known as: Life is like a box Chocolates... Ridiculously over Priced...)  
Author: Leviathan Cross (AKA Lev-chan)  
Category: Gravitation Humor/Romance  
Pairings: YukiXShuichi/ShuichiXYuki and a little TatsuhaXRyuuchi/RyuuchiXTasuha  
Spoilers: Episode 7  
  
Disclaimers: I do not own Gravitation or its characters, but oh, what I would do if I did... uh   
never mind just read the story.  
  
Author's Note: This is just a piece of fluff for my friends and my enjoyment along with the wonderful judges at the Dusty Moth who issued this fabulous challenge and I hope it's everything you expected. And for others reading this if you like it's for your enjoyment too, if not I don't care.  
  
  
Bittersweet Birthday Cake  
By Lev-chan  
  
Yuki Eiri awoke with a feeling of dread. For he knew that today would be an endless bout of torment. If only he could roll over and sleep through the day and avoid this misery for yet another year. For today is the day he feared most, today was his birthday.  
  
Glancing over at the clock he saw that is was only 8:00am, at least 16 more hours to go.  
  
"YUKI!"  
  
That is if he is able to survive the genki terror that is Shuichi. No sooner that the thought had popped into his head did said 'genki terror' burst into his room unannounced.   
  
As usual the teenager practically beamed with optimistic enthusiasm, it was enough to make Yuki sick to his stomach... yet it was strangely endearing at the same time.  
  
"Ohayou Yuki!" he said bouncing over to his grumpy lover before hopping onto the bed. The older man groaned burying his face in his pillow. Shuichi leaned over giving him a peck on the cheek earning him a glare from the novelist.  
  
'Couldn't he just let me wallow in my own misery," Yuki thought to himself.  
  
"Well I'm off to rehearsal!" Shuichi beamed before bounding out of the room and stopping at the door. "Don't start dinner without me!" he called before merrily closing the door behind him.  
  
Yuki blinked a couple of times as he tried to process what just happen.  
  
'Well that... wasn't so bad...' he thought, still slightly confused. 'But...' he began to pout.  
  
"He didn't wish me a happy birthday..."  
  
~~~~~~@~~~~~~  
  
Instead of opting to sleep away the day or spend it working on his next novel Yuki found himself indulging in a game of Chinese checkers... though it was pretty hard to play by yourself. And to tell the truth he wasn't overly fond of the game, it was actually Shuichi's favourite.  
  
He began to wonder how the annoying little mite had become so important to him. Was it the boy's persistence to get closer to him while others would give up on the first try? Or was it the unconditional love that seemed to radiate from the young singer?  
  
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a knock at the door. He muttered to himself as he left his game to answer it, "I bet it's Mika."  
  
Yuki turned the lock and swung the door open. There stood Tatsuha and Ryuuchi who had his stuffed rabbit Komaguro tucked under one arm and a gift bag dangling from the other.  
  
"Well I was close enough," he sighed before he started to close the door on his ototo.   
  
"Hey!" Tatsuha cried out sticking his foot in the door to prevent it from being shut in his face. "Are you just going to shut out your brother who happens to be bearing gifts, on your birthday?"  
  
"Yes!" he replied once again trying to close the door.  
  
"OW! Stop that! That hurts!"  
  
"Then take your foot out of the door jam!"  
  
"Eiri don't be rude! Others are watching," Tatsuha snapped back casting a glance at Ryuuichi who just blinked innocently at what was going on.  
  
The older of the two brothers growled out his frustration but finally sighed in resignation opening the door allowing the two inside.   
  
"Happy birthday Yuki-san," Ryuuichi beamed handing him the bag hanging from his grasp, reminding Yuki so much of Shuichi, the two really were alike. "Open it, OPEN IT!" the child-like man cried in excitement.  
  
Deciding to be polite to the man that his little brother adored he reached into the bag and pulled out...  
  
'What is this?' he thought to himself. The thing looked like a giant orange marshmallow... well with arms and legs that is. He cast his brother an odd look silently   
asking him to explain.  
  
"Uh... it's a Tater-tot plushie..." Tatsuha offered sheepishly.  
  
"Oh... I see... uh, arigato Sakuma-san," he replied awkwardly.  
  
"I'm glad you like it!" the older man squealed in delight while Tatsuha looked on in wistful adoration. "But Tatsuha-chan was with me when I bought it so it's from him as well."  
  
The black-haired youth blushed deeply at the affectionate use of 'Chan'. Yuki swore he could almost see the shoujo bubbles and hearts in his eyes as he gazed at Ryuuichi.  
  
But Yuki did have to hand it to his brother; he had yet to embarrass himself in front of his crush, so obviously he was doing something right. Usually Tatsuha would be drooling and stumbling all over himself if he was within 20 yards of the man. He often wondered who was the bigger baka. Ryuuichi, the famous 31-year-old singer, who acted like his was barely 10 but developed a split personality while on stage. Or perhaps it was his 16-year-old brother who acted like a preteen girl every time Ryuuichi got close to him.  
  
Suddenly his brother interrupted his train of thought, "So what are you up to today?"  
  
"Nothing much," he replied walking back over to his chess game and taking a seat on the couch.   
  
"Chinese checkers? I thought you hated that game."  
  
"I do," Yuki sighed.  
  
"Then why are you playing it Yuki-san?" the older singer asked.  
  
"Good question..." the novelist muttered to himself more than his guests.  
  
"Well you know," the black-haired young man smirked, "it would be probably a lot more interesting if played it with someone else."  
  
The blonde-haired man remained silent but gave his brother his famous 'Glare of Death' (tm). He just didn't seem to know when to keep his mouth shut.  
  
Tatsuha raised his hands in defense, " Hey you don't have to fur in a bunch, I was just saying."  
  
Yuki shook his head, "What are you doing here anyway?" he muttered.  
  
"What? A guy can't wish his Onii-chan a happy birthday?"  
  
"We haven celebrated my birthday in over 3 years," the older of the two pointed out.  
  
Tatsuha waved them off, "Details, details. Besides I was down by the studio and met up with Ryuuchi-san who insisted on delivering this gift to you but he couldn't remember where you lived. So I took it upon my shoulders to make sure that he got here safely."  
  
"And your chivalry amazes me..." Yuki commented dryly. Now it was the younger sibling's turn to glare at the other. "Well since you two were down at the studio could you tell me if Shuichi's still there?"  
  
"Oh no," Ryuuchi said. " He was in there this morning, but there was no practice because he had to go buy a birthday gift for someone. But don't tell anyone, it's supposed to be a secret," he informed the blonde writer, while Tatsuha smacked his head to his forehead.  
  
His younger brother began to laugh nervously, "Strange huh? Shuichi being friends with someone else who has the same birthday as you. I mean, what a coincidence..." his laughter began to die off as he turned to Ryuuichi. "Let's go Ryuuichi-san."  
  
"Did I say something wrong?" the older man inquired.  
  
"No, no... it's just my brother is a busy man and we're proobably just wasting his time, so we might as well be on our way," Tatsuha assured him.  
  
"Can we go for ice-cream together?" he asked excitedly latching onto the 16-year-old's arm causing the young man to turn beet-red from the neck up.  
  
"Y-yeah!... I-I-I'd like that..." he trailed off as the older man dragged him out of the apartment.  
  
Yuki shook his head at the two and turned back to his game of checkers. He stared at the marbles for a minute or two before becoming frustrated and pushing the board off the table sending the small balls everywhere.   
  
He then got up and grabbed a package of cigarettes and headed outside for a walk to clear his head.  
  
~~~~~~@~~~~~~  
  
Unknown the young writer several pairs of eyes were watching him as he left. Once the elevator doors closed taking Yuki down to the ground floor the group of people emerged from around the bend.  
  
"Alright, he's gone," the pink-haired boy smiled as he led the troupe into his and Yuki's apartment. The others followed him carrying several different bags and boxes into their house. "We've got to be quick cause I don't know when he'll come back."  
  
The group consisted of Shuichi, K, Hiro, Touma, Suguru, Sakano, Noriko and Yuki's older sister Mika. Tatsuha and called her just a few minutes ago telling them he and Ryuuichi-san would meet them back at the apartment in about an hour. The eight people went straight to work in decorating.  
  
About half an hour later there was a knock at the door, which Hiro answered and took in the large package and tipped the deliveryman.  
  
"What's this?" Shuichi asked eyeing the oversized box.   
  
K pulled out a pocketknife and cut the string holding the box together. The panels fell to reveal an enormous cake at least 4 feet tall. It was covered in white, green and blue icing and it went up in steps like a wedding cake.  
  
"This looks great!" the 19-year-old exclaimed. It seemed that everything was going to plan. He had Yuki's gift the decorations were up and the cake looked delicious.  
  
"That's not all," K said reaching to the top of the cake and taking it off like the lid of can.  
  
Shuichi came over and look into the cake. "Why is it hollow?" he asked giving the gun-touting blonde a suspicious gaze.  
  
"It's for you. We thought it would be good idea for you to surprise Yuki by popping out of the cake and singing happy birthday to him," Hiro offered.  
  
The young singer thought the idea over for a few minutes before answering the other two men. "That actually sound's like a good idea," he agreed.  
  
"Well that is a la Marilyn Monroe," Hiro continued holding up the famous white dress that the American icon had worn.   
  
Shuichi's jaw dropped, " I cross-dress once and you pull this?"  
  
"Actually it was twice," Tatsuha corrected as he and Ryuuichi entered the apartment.  
  
"Whatever... but I'm not going to do it again."  
  
"Oh come on Shuichi..."   
  
"Give me one good reason I should," he said defiantly.  
  
Hiro smirked and let his comment hang, "K likes guns..."   
  
Shuichi scowled and snatched the dress from his best-friend's hands. "FINE!" He then turned and stomped toward the bathroom to change. He emerged a few minutes later the scowl still on his face. "I can't believe I'm doing this..."  
  
"But you look so pretty Shu-chan..." Hiro teased.  
  
"But does the Pope approve?" he snapped back.  
  
"Has that ever stopped you before?" K said in return.  
  
"Well no..."  
  
"And has the Pope's approval ever mattered when picking your lover?"  
  
"Well no..."  
  
"And are you even Catholic?"  
  
"Well no..." Shuichi sighed in defeat.   
  
K smirked knowing he had won. "Alright then into the cake you go," he said cheerfully as he grabbed the boy around the waist and deposited him into the empty cavern of the pop-out cake, dress and all. Once he was inside he placed the lid on top.   
  
"I can't believe I'm doing this..." he muttered once again. "Are you sure this is a good idea? " Shuichi called from inside the hollowed out cake.   
  
" It's a great idea," Hiro calmly replied. "Now keep it down, we don't want Yuki to know that you're in there before you pop out."  
  
"Yeah, I mean that would ruin the surprise," Suguru added.  
  
"Uh, guys? It's getting kinda stuffy in here... and smells funny..." Shuichi said feeling slightly light-headed.  
  
"What does it smell like?" the youngest member of Bad Luck questioned.  
  
"I don't know... it kinda smells like melting plastic..." the genki singer grumbled wondering why he ever agreed to this.  
  
"I wouldn't worry too much about it. I mean there is no chance that the plastic in that thing is melting. It's a very durable material, " K began to lecture.  
  
"Really? I never knew that," Suguru commented.  
  
"Not only is it a durable substance but since it is not a natural resource it is being used more and more to conserve the use of most metals," he continued.  
  
"What else?" Hiro inquired.  
  
"Well look around you all the latest technical gadgets are made from mostly plastic, such as Discmans, cell phones and portable televisions."  
  
"Not to mention other things..." Tatsuha said as he wiggled his eyes suggestively.  
  
K sighed and shook his head, "That's rubber not plastic."  
  
As the conversation continued the group began to move from the kitchen and into the living room, unaware of the calls coming from the oversized cake.  
  
"Uh, guys?... the lid doesn't want to move... Guys? I'm starting to fell kinda dizzy... guys?... Kuso..."   
  
~~~~~~@~~~~~~  
  
Yuki unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped in. It was completely pitch black suddenly the lights switched on and the room was full of people yelling 'Surprise'.  
  
"I saw this coming," he muttered.  
  
His guests greeted him and got him to sit down on the couch and it was at this time that he noticed that his energetic love wasn't among the crowd.   
  
"Where's Shuichi?" he asked.  
  
"He said he had to drop off some letters off at the post office and to cut the cake without him," Suguru informed him. With that said Hiro and K rolled the cake out of the kitchen and into the living room. Hiro handed Yuki the knife before standing to the side of the giant cake.  
  
"Shuichi really wanted to wish you a happy birthday so..." K trailed off as if he was waiting for something to interrupt him. But all that was there was an awkward silence.  
  
Hiro and K exchanged looks before looking back at the cake.  
  
"Something wrong?" Yuki inquired.  
  
"Oh nothing..." Hiro said nervously given the stand that the cake was on a strong nudge.  
  
Once again there was and eerie silence.  
  
"You don't think..." Hiro trailed off again.  
  
K gave him an uneasy look as he reached for the lid of the cake and peered inside. "Uh, oh..." he muttered.  
  
"What do you mean, 'uh oh'?" Yuki said, his patience was almost gone.  
  
"One second," he replied as he reached inside and picked the passed-out Shuichi out of his 'confinement'. "I guess he wasn't kidding when he said it was stuffy in there."  
  
Yuki rushed over to where K was setting down his little lover. He eyed the outfit oddly before looking at Hiro and K who seemed to be leading this whole thing.  
  
"Hey it was his idea," Hiro defended himself as he pointed to Shuichi.  
  
Yuki just glared but his attention was drawn away from the other when the young man stirred from his place on the floor. He blinked a couple of times before focusing on the blonde man above him.  
  
"Surprise?" he whispered.  
  
Yuki shook his head, "Baka."  
  
A hurt scowl appeared on the younger man's face. " Hey! I did this all for you, y'know..." he said as he got into a standing position. "And another thing..." he was interrupted when stepped on one of the marbles from the Chinese checkers set that was missed in the cleaning. As he slipped he accidentally knocked over the cake and hit his head against the coffee table knocking himself out cold.  
  
"That's not good," Tatsuha commented dryly.  
  
"I always hated Chinese checkers..."  
  
~~~~~~@~~~~~~  
  
"I knew I never should have gotten out of bed this morning..." the novelist muttered to himself as he tried to stay focused on the road. In the car were Hiro, K, Tatsuha, Shuichi and himself; the others had remained behind to clean up the mess.   
  
"Oh come on Yuki it couldn't been that bad of a birthday."  
  
"Well let's see, driving my boyfriend to the hospital at 9:00 at night to make sure he doesn't have a concussion doesn't seem to top my list of best ways to spend my birthday. And on top of that..." the older of the two turned to snap at his brother.  
  
"Yuki LOOK OUT!"  
  
The young writer slammed on the breaks but it was too late to prevent the impact. Hiro held onto Shuichi to make sure that the unconscious boy didn't go flying into the windshield.  
  
"And on top of that... you just hit a donkey," Tatsuha commented dryly.  
  
Yuki decided to ignore the quip, "Is everyone okay?"  
  
"Yeah... well except for the donkey..." K muttered.  
  
"Might as well check the damage..." Yuki sighed as K, Tatsuha and himself exited the car. "Is it still moving?" he inquired looking at the animal.  
  
"Nope... and I'm pretty sure it's dead." K replied tapping the creature with the tip of his gun.  
  
"Yuki! You killed a donkey!"  
  
"I didn't mean to it was an accident! And besides, what the hell is a donkey doing wandering down town anyway?!" the older of the brothers snapped back.  
  
K sighed and shook his head, "Listen Tatsuha and I'll take care of this you two take Shuichi to the hospital.  
  
Yuki nodded his thanks as he got back into the car and drove off.  
  
"So what are we going to do?" the black-haired young man asked.  
  
"Well that depends... which is closer the butcher or the forest?... Hey you don't happen to have a shovel on you, do you?"  
  
Tatsuha let out a sigh. "This is going to be a long night..."  
  
~~~~~~@~~~~~~  
  
They arrived at the hospital a few minutes later and the doctors saw Shuichi right away. It was almost an hour later when the doctor came out and said that Yuki could go see him.  
  
" He has a minor concussion, but it's nothing to be overly worried about he should be fine with a couple days of rest," she informed him before he entered the room.  
  
The pink-haired young man was sleeping peacefully as Yuki approached the bed and sat in the chair at its side. His lips curled up in a smile as he though how cute he looked all snuggled up in the white sheets.  
  
His hand then drifted to stroke the younger man's cheek, which in turn caused him to stir and open his eyes.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you..."  
  
"That's okay... I'm sorry about this whole mess..." he replied.  
  
Yuki once again shook his head, "It's not your fault... besides I've had worse birthdays than this," he said rewarding Shuichi with one of his genuine smiles.  
  
The singer smiled back before glancing over at the clock. "Well it's only 10:00, there are still two more hours till your birthday is over..."  
  
"What are you suggesting..." Yuki asked knowing very well what he meant.  
  
Shuichi moved over on the bed giving his lover more room. Yuki slipped off his shoes and crawled in next to younger boy as Shuichi snuggled up against him. Yuki in turn wrapped an arm around him as they both laid down.  
  
Suddenly the boy's eyes darken, "Oh no... your present is still at the house!" he said   
feeling awful.  
  
The older man just his head in amusement, "Baka... you're all the present I need." He then leaned over to give his lover a kiss.  
  
"Ai shiteru..." the singer whispered.  
  
"Ai shiteru, Shu-chan... though I will admit the dress was a bit much..."  
  
The rest of the night was filled with soft laughter, butterfly kisses and the promise of loving devotion.   
  
~~~~~~@~~~~~~  
  
OWARI  



End file.
